The making of a hornet nest

3:36 PM,
Feb. 24, 2014

A bald-faced hornet.

Written by

Mike Riter

The Hudson Valley's early spring warmth awakens the Dolichovespula maculata (whitefaced or bald-faced hornet) queens. The shiny black-and-white, nearly inch-long beauties emerge from their hibernation in the ground, behind tree bark, in a rotted stump or a crack in a wall.

Whitefaced hornets are only found in North America. Though they are black and white with no yellow, they are a kind of yellow jacket and not a true hornet. They are in the Vespidae family, meaning they are wasps and not bees.

Each queen that came through the winter in good health begins building her nest. She must hunt ...